Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Get Well Soon Coupon and Bigelow Tea Giveaway Ends 01/22/13

WIN IT WEDNESDAY! Get Well Soon 100 Coupon Giveaway!
I know that the flu/virus/cold's are just happening all over the USA so I thought that this would be the best giveaway... And I'm going to add some TEABAGS! Decaf Gingerbread Spice... Mmmm!

And you will have the chance to win FREE Bigelow Tea Bags in this giveaway as well... but you have to do the step in the Rafflecopter in full, to win that entry.

The giveaway gives some Gingerbread Spice Decaf. tea bags and then another entry gives 10 of a variety of Bigelow Tea Bags!

Hope you are not looking like this for long.... but it's the winter and it happens... stay away from people who have the flu/cold/virus and here are some tips to know about getting the flu and what to do if you don't know already.

Colleen Schilinski!!

2. Second pulled Winner: 50 Coupons: P&G! Sticking with the GET WELL SOON theme! That winner is:

Have you gotten your flu shot? Don't be one of those people who "claim"
that they get the flu from the flu shot because that is just not
true!

Flu outbreak: Why are so many not getting vaccinated?

The CDC recommends everyone who is over the age of 6 months get a flu
vaccine. The people most at risk for developing complications from the
flu include people over the age of 65, pregnant women, and those with
asthma, emphysema and chronic lung disease. However, the majority of
Americans do not get the flu shot each year – with only 46 percent
getting the vaccine by the end of March 2012. And, the success rates
are fairly positive – flu shots were shown to be 67 percent effective
in preventing the flu.

So why do so many people skip getting the vaccine? According to one
doctor, people do not actively reject the vaccine. Instead they are
merely unsure of whether or not they really need it.

Myths vs. facts
“There’s a growing problem called ‘vaccine hesitancy,’” Dr. Frank
Esper, a viral respiratory disease expert at UH Case Medical Center in
Ohio, told FoxNews.com. “They’re not truly against getting the shot.
But, with all these people online saying, ‘Watch out for this, be
careful about that,’ – they’re hesitant to receive the flu vaccine, and
then they never get it done.”

According to Esper, with numerous websites, blogs, and podcasts
perpetuating false information about the flu vaccine online, it’s easy
for people to doubt the vaccine’s safety or believe it was not tested
accurately. Many fear the vaccine will cause adverse side effects,
which is an unrealistic fear, Esper said.

“There were certain vaccines in the past that did cause problems,”
Esper said, alluding to a 1976 vaccine that caused Guillian-Barre
syndrome (a neurologic disorder) in a small amount of people.

“It happens once, and people start saying how the [vaccine can cause
severe problems]. But all these vaccines that we are producing in the
U.S have been tested for this problem, and all sorts of other problems
and have been well proven to be safe and effective,” Esper added.

Apart from the hesitancy surrounding the flu vaccine, there are also a
number of propagated myths associated with the shot.

The biggest one:
You can get the flu from getting the flu shot.
Because the flu vaccine is developed utilizing parts of the influenza
virus, many people believe the virus in the vaccine can ultimately make
them sick. But Esper laid that myth to rest.

“The flu shot has absolutely no live virus in there,” Esper said.
“It’s a bunch of pieces and parts. Think of it as if I take the flu,
chop it up into little bits and put those bits into the shot. You
cannot get the flu from the shot because it doesn’t contain all the
parts of the flu virus.”

To emphasize his point, Esper noted a person cannot get the flu from
the flu shot, “no more than you can get three tires and a carburetor and
drive a car.”

However, just because a person does get the flu vaccine doesn’t mean
he or she won’t still get sick. However, many people can mistake
flu-like symptoms for the flu virus. Esper noted there are many
different viruses capable of causing disease, so people shouldn’t
necessarily assume that if they are sneezing and coughing, they caught
the flu virus.

Another myth people have is they think they cannot get the flu.
People who haven’t had the flu in years’ past think they are somehow
immune to the virus – a mind set that is potentially unsafe for not only
themselves, but others around them.
“The answer to that is, ‘Well you may not have gotten sickly,’” Esper
said. “Just like the flu can cause really bad disease, you can actually
just have a little bit of a runny nose and nothing else – and that’s
still the flu. It’s still something you caught and you can spread to
others.”

THE SITUATION: The annual flu
season hit about a month early this year, and illness is now widespread
in 47 states. Many cases are caused by a flu strain
that tends to make people sicker. But so far experts say it's too
early to know whether this will end up being a bad season. Maybe not:
There are signs the flu may have already peaked in a few states, though
it's too early to tell for sure, health officials say.

THE VACCINE: This season's
vaccine is well matched to the circulating strains, and there's still
some available. It is 62 percent effective, according to government
study results released Friday, which is pretty good for a flu vaccine. Health officials are urging people to get vaccinated; it's recommended for everyone 6 months or older.

THE TREATMENT: Most people will get a mild case and can help
themselves and protect others by staying home and resting. But people
with severe symptoms should see a doctor. They may be given antiviral
drugs or other medications to ease symptoms.

COLD OR FLU?: Influenza is not
the only bug making people sick. The cold virus and a nasty stomach
virus are also going around. It can sometimes be hard to tell the
difference, but cold symptoms include stuffy or runny nose, sore throat
and sneezing. Flu usually involves fever, along with chills, headache
and moderate-to-severe body aches and tiredness. Symptoms can come on
rapidly, within three to six hours.

Facebook:

Sniffly, stuffy, sneezy and achy and want someone to blame, just to
make yourself feel mildly better? There’s now an app for that.“Help, I Have the Flu”
is a new Facebook app that trolls through friends’ profiles looking for
keywords such as ‘sneezing,’ ‘coughing,’ and ‘vomiting’ as well as
check-ins to find the culprit who may have passed on the virus.

“Hello. I’m sorry you have the flu,” reads the app. “Nothing will make you feel better like finding somebody to blame.”

Clicking on the “Who Made Me Sick” button on the Facebook page will
track down prime suspects, such as those who’ve mentioned the word ‘flu’
in their status updates or those who’ve had multiple late night posts,
as sleep deprivation, the app reasons, puts people at increased risk for
catching a cold.

The app also allows users to send a message to the offending
virus-spreader or purchase remedies from the healthcare company that
runs the app, Help Remedies in the US.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also has an
app that tracks flu activity reports in the US through podcasts and
feeds, while the Flu Defender provides handy tips on how to protect
yourself this season.

I hope you have gotten your flu shot and that you are staying home from
public places since this has been ruled an epidemic. You can still get
the flu even if you had the flu shot. I hope that you feel better soon
if you are sick.

2 comments:

This is such a great giveaway! We have a horrible flu spreading around here and it seems like everyone is getting sick. I'm glad that I have already been sick with it and it's over now, but it didn't spread to my fiance, so we're just waiting until it is his unfortunate turn.

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About Me

I am a Stay at Home Mom and Wife and the caretaker of a kill rescue Sharpei Mix 8-9 years ago and she is 13 now! We live at the beach in Southern CA. and I sell SCENTSY and other items on Etsy.
I take part in PRODUCT REVIEWS, BOOK REVIEWS, PET PRODUCT REVIEWS and GIVEAWAYS. I also like to discuss RECIPES and COOKING and will post mine and others as well and accept recipes from you!
I write about human and animal health and keeping fit. I write personal entries. I also write entries for other blogs and write educational curriculum for outside sources.
Enjoy the blog! Thank you, Carolyn